> Lunar school
>  by skittylikesmlp
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A midnight call
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Good night Tori." Tor's mom, Lota Luck said as she pulled the covers over her filly. "Night mommy!" said Tor.
Her mom blew out the candle.

Tor opened her eyes. "I don't think I'm in bed any more!" she said.
True that was. in the distance the shadow of a mare stood.
"Execsues me? Do you know where i am?" Tor asked.

Tor woke up.
“What a strange dream.” She pondered aloud.
She got out of bed and went to her window. It was still night outside. Tor yawned before climbing back into bed but then heard a strange song. It was coming from outside. Tor thought Eh, must be my imagination getting the best of me. She went back to sleep.

When Tor woke up she went straight downstairs. 
“Morning” Her father , Coin-Lucky, said.
“Did you remember to study for your math quiz today?” Asked Tor’s mom.
“Yes mom.” Tor lied.
“Remember to turn in your homework!” Tor’s older sister, Dona said “I forgot to turn in mine and the teacher gave me a slapping.” Dona flipped through a biology book. 
“I’ll remember.” Promised Tor as she grabbed her saddle bag.
“Listen to this.” Tor’s dad said as he got the news paper from the paper colt.
“Last night 20 foals gone missing. Killed or kidnapped?”
“Not in front of Tori!” Tor’s mom said.
“Hey. Isn’t Pip Squeak that transfer student from ponyville thats in Tor’s class?” Asked Tor’s father.
“I `think so!” Said Tor’s mom astonished. “But he’s a friend of Tori’s! This isn’t appropriate for an eight year old!” 
Tor’s mom finished packing Tor’s lunch and gave it to Tor.
“If you leave now for school you’ll get an extra 7 minutes of morning free time at school.” Tor’s mom said opening the door and Tor started off for school.

“Have you heard about that newspaper article that made the front page?” Asked Roxie, Tor’s best friend, on there way to school.
“The one about those foals that went missing?” Asked Tor.
“Of course that one! I heard from my mom that 7 of them are from our grade!” Roxie said.
“My mom doesn’t want me knowing about this stuff.” Said Tor.
“Well then your mom’s keeping you from knowing the good stuff. It will be the talk of the talk with the gossip group. Not like it won't be the cat’s pajamas of the school! The teachers might faint from fear of the missing foals! Won’t that be funny?” Asked Roxie as they entered the courtyard.
“Yeah... Funny.” Said Tor not really thinking it would be funny at all.
“I know! Just think. If someone could find them they'd be superstars!” Roxy's eyes lit up.
“They’d get a lot of money too!” She squealed.

Tor wasn't paying attention to her friend as Roxie continuously ranted about what would happen if someone found the foals.
She was focusing on the song she heard before she went to bed last night.
“And the only clue they have is soundtrack of a song that supposedly played around midnight!” Roxie said.
“What!?” Said Tor.
“They kidnapped that colt that I like like?” Said Roxie.
“No after that!” Said Tor.
“The colt is the most handsome ever?”
“After that!” Tor groaned.
“He i- Hey! Don’t you get any ideas! Pip is my true love. Not yours! Keep your hooves off of him! He’s mine!” Roxie ranted.
“No. The par- Never mind. You're impossible.” Grunted Tor and walked off towards a 6th grader called Shine Smile who was Tor’s 2nd best friend.

“What’s up?” Asked Shine Smile.
“Oh, nothing much. Roxie isn’t really helping with the big news that made the head liner.” Said Tor 
“The usual I see.” Shine Smile joked.
Shine Smile was a pink pegasus with a purple mane and tail.
“Anyways Kiddo. I’m coming over to babysit Tuesday night!” Shine Smile said.
“Yes!” Tor said, jumping in the air.“What are you doing for math class today? My class is doing a big quiz!”
“Wow! That’s really cool! I bet you're gonna ace it Kiddo!” Shine Smile said.
“Remember when we made nicknames for each other? Mine was Kiddo and your’s was Shine Smile and now you go by Shine Smile!” Tor said with pride.
“Yeah. Cadence always was a boring name.” Shine Smile rolled her eyes.
“We used to play princess and you'd be Princess Cadence and I’d be Princess Tori!” Tor said fondly. “You really do look like a princess though. A bit like Celestia!” Said Tor, lying down in the grass.
“Oh don’t flatter me!” Shine Smile said as she lay down next to Tor on the grass.
The two friends chatted for awhile until the bell rang.
“See you tomorrow!” Shine Smile said fondly.
“See you after school!” Tor corrected her role model.
“Okay!” Shine Smile said, disappearing into the stampede of ponies on there way in.
“Okay.” Tor said happily before skipping off.

After school...
The two fillies walked down the street to Roxie’s house.
“You failed your math quiz? But you're the biggest brainiac I know!” Roxie said in surprise. “Anywho. Thats not important! I’ll tell you what is. The gossip girls talked to me! I have a chance of getting into there group! No offence but soon I’ll have new best friends. You might want to join the mathletes. You might have a chance of getting new friends.”
“Well, thats okay. If you do join I’ll be really happy for you. You’ll get to be in with the ‘big league’ like you've always wanted to and you’ll be able to talk with people who can sometimes understand you and you can sometimes understand them. Besides. I’ll always have Shine Smile as a best friend. I’ll be fine.” Tor tried to assure her friend.
“What a loser. I can’t believe I took pity on her.” muttered Roxy under her breath.

That night Tor had the dream again.
“Why do I keep coming to this place in my dreams?” Tor asked the mare.
The mare turned around. She wore armor and was pitch black. “You will find out in time... Wake to the song my child.” The mare touched her horn to Tor’s head and Tor woke up in bed.
The song played loud and clear in Tor’s head. It called her to the street but Tor just hid under the covers.

“Mom. I’ve been getting this dream.” Said Tor in the morning.
“Mhm.” Tor’s mom said, turning the page of the newspaper the following day.
“I keep seeing this mare.” Began Tor.
“Yes... hmm.” Tor’s mom grunted.
“She wears this... nevermind what she wears!” Tor said shaking her head.
“Oh! Half of at that fancy restaurant for there 5th anniversary!” Tor’s mom said with surprise.
“MOM!” Tor yelled angrily.
“Quiet now Tori. I need to make a reservation at your aunt's favorite restaurant. Maybe for our anniversary...” Muttered Tor’s mom.
“NO ONE EVER LISTENS TO ME!” Tor ranted.

“So. Mummy ignoring you.” Dona said at lunch.
“Yeah. Why doesn’t she understand how important my dream is?” Groaned Tor.
“Ask her when she gets here.” Dona muttered while reading a new issue of a magazine. 
“You know... I haven't seen Roxie at school today. Nor her cousins, Fleet Wing and Krizzy Kized.”
“Eh, who cares. Anywho. This article really doesn’t help. It’s telling me that I’m ugly!” Dona growled “Oh right. In two minutes you have to go back to school for afternoon session. Maybe you’ll find you’re friends then.”

“Class. I have bad news to tell you. The foals from the Flashy family are missing. Roxie, Fleet Wing, Krizzy Kized, Stamp and Twirly Swirly.” The teacher said.
“Roxie? NO! She’s my best friend! She can’t be missing!” Gasped Tor with worry.
“It’s okay.” The colt next to Tor said.
“No! It’s not!” Tor yelled back.
“Stop this at once!” The teacher yelled walking up to her “For that outburst I want you to go to the principal's!”

“Why should I go to the principal's office?” Muttered Tor as she packed her saddle bag.
“My friends are going missing and I’m just standing around!” Tor wrapped up her sleeping bag.
“I need to take charge!” Tor decided as she put on her saddlebag.
When she got downstairs Tor wrote a note on the back of the grocery list:

 Running away. 
I don’t feel safe with children going missing. 
I’m going to find a safer home.
Tori

Tor had been walking for almost an hour now.
It would be midnight soon. 
Then the Song would play. 
It always came from outside. 
What happened to the foals that were outside? 
Tor didn’t want to find out.
“Someplace safe someplace safe” She muttered looking for shelter.
Tor could hide under a carriage. But she’d still be out in the street.
Go in someone’s house. If they saw Tor they could think she was a thief and hurt her.
Tor was running out of time and started to shuffle her hooves nervously. Then there was the first bell.
No! She thought. I’m almost out of time!
Bong! ten more strokes and I’ll be done for!
Bong!
Tor ran around in a frenzy
Bong!
She decided to take her chances with someone else’s house
Bong!
She tried the first knob.
It was locked.
Bong!
six more left! she thought and began to sweat.
Bong!
She tried the next knob
Bong!
Everyone must be worrying that what got the children will get them
Bong!
Only three more till my doom! She thought.
Bong!
“Help! Help!” She cried. Knocking on the door with all her might.
Bong!
“This is it...” Tor said in defeat.
BONG!
Then there it was.
The Song.
> Moon rock palace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The song spread through the streets. Tor looked up. The street was bathed in moonlight and soon the little pegasus started to levitate. What’s happening!? Tor thought frantically. The moonlight magic pulled her towards a mountain in the distance. 
No! Tor thought. I don’t want to go!
Tor closed her eyes, hoping it was just a bad dream. She opened her eyes to find a shadowy mare flying below her.
“Hey you! Help!” Tor called.
The shape stept out of the shadows. It was the mare. Or at least she looked like her. But she wasn’t in armour and she didn’t have fangs and she was a soothing shade of midnight blue. 
“Come to Moonrock Palace.” The alicorn mare urged.
“Moonrock Palace?” The small terrified filly asked in a trembling voice.
The mare nodded. “Finally you have come out of hiding and into the light of the moon!” The alicorn said with glee.
“What do you mean?” Tor asked, confused beyond belief.
“You shall soon find out.” The alicorn said with a look of understanding. “But for now sleep. Something tells me you haven't been getting enuf.” The alicorn touched her horn to the filly’s head and Tor fell asleep.

Tor awoke in the bottom bunk of a bunk bed.
The room was a cabin and was filled with bunk beds all with little fillies sleeping in them.
The pegasus filly got out of bed.
Where am I? She wondered remembering the magic that seemed to come from moonlight.
She looked at the top bunk to see who she slept with last night.
The filly’s mane was a mess!
It was purple and stuck up everywhere like the filly had been a restless sleeper. The unicorn filly seemed vaguely familiar. If only her mane was brushed...
“Roxie!?” Tor said in surprise. 

“Are you a new foal?” A voice asked. 
Tor turned around and faced a light pink filly earth pony with a mint colored mane and tail.
The filly looked a bit older than Tor. Maybe a fifth grader.
“I’m Bubblegum.” The filly said.
“I’m Tor. Do you know where I am?” Tor asked.
staring in disgust at her own tail.. “At Moonrock Palace. Also known as Lunarbeam castle.” Bubblegum picked up a brush on a bed stand and started to brush the tangles out of her tail.
“What happens around here?” Asked Tor.
“We don’t really know.” Bubblegum said, putting down the brush as if noticing that this filly had a lot of questions and Tor wouldn’t shut up untill she answered all of them. 
“What do you mean by that?” Asked Tor, confused.
“In the night when children go outside the moon catches us.”
“What do you mean by that?” Asked Tor, tilting her head.
“Didn’t you mysteriously start levitating and float away?” Bubblegum said annoyed.
Tor noticed that Bubblegum’s tail puffed up like a cat’s fur when the cat was annoyed.
“Well, yes actually. Please continue.” Tor said. Eager to learn all she could about this strange place.
“The moon carries us off to the mountain. An alicorn mare waits for us there and separates the fillies from the colts and takes us to two big cabins. The boys go in one while we go in this one. She locks the doors with magic so we can’t get out and the door only opens to throw in new captives and things you can’t even call meals.” Bubblegum stopped to catch her breath.
Tor gave Bubblegum an eager gaze.
“You following?” She asked.
Tor nodded. “One question.”
“Oh boy you’re inquisitive.” Bubblegum groaned facehoofing. “What’s your question?”
“Who is the mare?”
“No one knows.” Bubblegum said rolling her eyes as if saying wouldn’t I tell her if I knew the mare’s name?
“How do you know where we are?” Tor said stretching her head forward but when she saw Bubblegum’s uneasy expression she backed up a bit.
“The mare told us.” Bubblegum’s expression slowly morphed to a more comfortable one.
“How many nights has she brought new ‘captives’?” Tor resisted streatching fowards agen.
“Do you want me to finish or not!? ”Bubblegum’s face went from pink to red and Tor swore she saw steem come out from the other filly’s ears
“Continue.” Tor said.
“Last night when we where filling in the two newest captives, Krizzy Kized and Roxie Flashy.”
“Roxie! I know her! She’s the filly on the bunk above me!” Tor said excitedly.
“Shut up!” Groaned Bubblegum.
“Sorry!” Tor said with a blush, doing her best to keep her mouth shut.
“Anyways. Last night when we where filling in the two newest captives, Krizzy Kized and Roxie Flashy.” She paused to make sure Tor wasn’t going to interrupt before continuing. 
“Then the door opened and dinner was thrown in. You where thrown in to. You where in a deep sleep so we put you in the bottom half of Roxie’s bunk. She seemed frightened by your appearance like you where a zombie back from the dead. She had trouble going to sleep and stared at you like she was scared of you.” Bubblegum finished.

Then the door opened and two sacks where thrown in before the door shut tight.
“What’s this?” Asked Tor as she padded up to the sacks.
“Breakfast.” Bubblegum said in disgust. “Chicken feed Monday. This is a type of breakfast we get around here- You don’t have your cutie mark.”
“Neither do you.” Tor said in defence of herself pulling her tail around her blank flank so no one could see it.
“I just realized everyone caught doesn’t have a cutie mark.” Bubblegum said pulling her head back, blushing as if embarrassed.
“Oh. Maybe thats just a coincidence.” Said Tor feeling kind of bad that she might of hurt the other filly’s feelings.
“Maybe it’s because we don’t have a special talent yet and whoever's in charge of this operation is trying to use that fact to his or her advantage...” Bubblegum stated, putting her hoof to her chin.
“You mean they might try to enslave us and have our special talent be being there slave and have us have to be there slave the rest of our life!” Tor panicked beginning to sweat.
“Whatever's happening, it can’t be good!” Bubblegum worried, pulling her head back in surprise as if considering the idea.
“We could be in danger!” Tor waved her hooves.
“Everyone could be in danger!” Bubblegum said with wide eyes.
“We need to find out what they want with us!” Tor said, crouching down on the ground as if scared that the bedstands where going to come to life and attack them.
“We need to stop them!” Bubblegum said pounding her hooves together.
“We need to make a team!” 
“We need to make a resistance!” Bubblegum kicked the air as if pretending it was the enemy.
“Let’s team up!” Tor’s eyes got a tiny spark of hope that the older filly would protect her.
The twosome's stomach growled. 
“We need to have breakfast!” They said at the same time.
> A to be friend in a faraway land
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Someplace far away...
Avispa walked the path he took everyday. 
To the woods. 
Away from the hive. 
To a place where his kind where not living and he could be himself and show his fanged, bug-eyed, black face.
A changeling could ask for nothing more.
But most changelings stayed out of the woods, due to it’s lack of love.
Avispa, on the other hoof, found nothing but love there. 
Not for a pony Avispa was disguised as but for him himself. 
He wasn’t stealing there love. 
For there love was for him. 
All the forest animals that lived out there cared for Avispa because Avispa was Avispa. 
He entered the woods. 
Dark at first but then soon dappled with brightness from the sun that shone through the leafs.
There was a rustle in the bushes and then a small grey tabby tom appeared.
“Avispa!” The cat called in greeting.
“Dusk-Bright!” Avispa called in greeting to his old feline friend. “How’s the family?”
“Oh! It’s great! Monarch is a great mother to our kittens. Just this morning Birch, Maple and Sycamore all tried there first taste of meat!” The proud tom said.
“That’s great Dusk-Bright!” Avispa said before walking on.

Avispa came across a small meadow.
The rabbits where running around and Avispa was soothed by the scent of daisies.
“Hey it’s Avispa!” “Hello Avispa!” “Avispa!” The bunny’s calls of hello raised as Avispa walked on nodding to the rabbits.
“How are you Avispa dearie?” Said a tan rabbit who had her storm grey husband behind her and there two cottontail sons in tow.
“I’m fine Mrs. Xon. How’s Eddy and Butch?” Avispa said turning to the two little cottontail bunnies.
“Oh there fine dearie! Have you heard the bird’s singing down at the thicket? Oh it’s heavenly! I believe they shall have a concert soon.” The she-bunny said.
“Thank you for pointing me that way. I shall go immediately.” Avispa said in thanks.

In a tall cedar tree the birds where singing in there little band.
The chickadee got of tune when he noticed Avispa.
“Avispa! Avispa!” He called excitedly, throwing the birds song into a tornado of confused tweets.
The blue jay started to say “What? What’s happening?”
The robins tried to continue the song but the beautiful melody was lost in the storm of tweets.
The cardinal unsure of what to do hummed the tune to ‘Here comes the Sun’.
The swallow got thrown off and started singing the bridge while the dove, lorikeet and a few other birds twittered in confusion.
Avispa raised his hole-filled hoof for the embarrassed chickadee to land on.
“Everyone makes mistakes.” Avispa tried to assure the chickadee.
The wood pigeon, leader of the chorus, landed on the ground in front of Avispa.
He gave his feathers a quick prune before puffing out his chest to look important.
“Aaron!” He yelled at the small chickadee. “Chorus was doing great before you made that outburst! What do you have to say for yourself!?”
“Peleus.” Avispa began trying to reason with the puffed up pidgeon. “Aaron just got a little excited to see me. That’s all.”
“Harumph! So your the problem! Go away! No sneaky peeks! You’ll have to wait ‘till the concert to hear our singing!”
“Okay then.” Avispa said. “I’ll get going.” He spread his wings and flew off to the heart of the forest.

“You sure took your time to visit me.” A voice said when Avispa arrived.
“Save your complaining for later.” Avispa said. “At least I came to see you at all.” 
Avispa’s companion hissed with laughter.
“You always come.” She said.
“Diamond.” Avispa said sternly looking his companion in her amber eyes.
“What Vispy?” The shadowy shape growled with boredom.
“I sense something wrong over near ponyville. There is a place that before had no life. Now it has life but no love.”
“Well then. Sounds like you need a companion to find out what’s up over there.” Diamond stept out of the shadows, teeth bared.
“Lets do this.” They said in unision.
> honor or family?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Avispa walked to the hive.
He remembered his conversation with Diamond.
“Will you come with me to the hive?” He had asked with hope.
“You know I don’t like being around others of your kind.” Diamond had said nervously. 
Her Amber eyes like spotlights as she searched for any other lifeforms than Avispa and herself.
“At least walk me there!” Avispa said. Not wanting her to know that he was scared of her homeland.
“I can smell your fear. You should not be afraid of my homeland you know. Besides.” She said with a shudder. “I hate the light.” She stepped back into the shadows just to prove her point.
“Why will you come to Ponyville with me but you won’t even go for a walk with me!?” Avispa said a bit angry at his friend’s mysterious ways.
“Your changeling friends can sense... life...” Diamond said as if looking for a better word than life.
“I don’t want to be known about.” She said bitterly.
“See you tomorrow?” Avispa asked.
“Yes. At the mountain path. Crack of dawn. No later.” Diamond said.
Avispa saw her shape rustle in the shadows but he couldn’t figure out what she was doing.
“Bye.” Avispa said as he slunk of through the forest.

Now he wondered what his friend had meant by a lot of things.
First of all he wondered why Diamond didn’t like others of his kind.
Second he still didn’t get why she’d go to ponyville with him if she hated the outside world so much.
Third, Avispa didn’t get Diamond. How she knew so much about things she hates or is scared of.
Why did she want to meet him at the crack of dawn?
Why at the mountain path. The quickest route would be through Bramble Trail, then take a left at the crossroads and hike through the desert till you get to the Oasis and then take the cobblestone path to Songberry Woods and walk through there till you’d get to Fillydelphia. After that you could take a train to Ponyville.
Just like Avispa’s father had said so many years ago.

“Hey Avispa!” A jeering voice said.

Avispa didn’t need to turn around because being a changeling, one of his supernatural powers was sensing things.
It was hard to explain but changelings, can use echolocation in a way.
Changelings use there horn to sense things and when there hooves take a step it sends a vibration to the changeling’s horn so they can get a mental picture of everything within ten feet of them.
All changelings look exactly alike and have the exact same voice so you had to be able to sense the sound waves and test how strong they were and there vibe to identify the speaker.
Soundwaves where readable to. 
Any movement within ten feet would send of a vibration that all changelings could read with there horn.

“Airado, Herida, Sabandja. Can’t you find a changeling your own size to pick on?” Avispa said to the group of bullies.
“Your right. But who’s gonna pick on you? You're the smallest changeling ever!” Airado and his goonies broke into hideous laughter.
“Why not no one pick on me? Yeah. That sounds about right.” Avispa said, trying to keep his cool and beginning to walk away.
“Well, you're almost too small to notice. I’m surprised you haven’t been squashed!” Laughed Sabanja ,throwing his head back in the air.
“Are you trying to insult me?” Asked Avispa, turning his head sharply in there direction.
“Ooooo! What are you gonna do to us, PUNK!?” Herida asked. Taking a step forwards showing of how sharp his horn was.
“I’ll show you why I’m named after a wasp.” Avispa said, pawing the ground as if ready to charge. 
Doing his best to act brave like the other changelings and not like the Avispa that had listened to the bird’s chorus could sometimes be hard for Avispa.
“Uh, they named you after a wasp because they wanted you to seem strong.” Began Airado. “But you never will be!” The goonies broke into laughter.
“Does this need to end in a fight?” Asked Avispa.
Unsure if he could keep his act together for much longer. 
“Meh. Might as well.” Airado became airborne and swung his legs. “Enter the wrestling fight tomorrow and whoever wins is the better changeling!”
“Deal!” Avispa said.
But as Avispa walked away he remembered something.
He and Diamond where to meet at dawn and start on there journey and live wrestling was always at noon.
What was more important, his honor or the fact he might find his long lost father?